Former foreign secretary Sujatha Singh has said that she was kept in dark over Sushma Swaraj’s ‘request’ to British government to issue travel documents to Lalit Modi.
A report in Indian Express quoted her as saying, “I knew nothing about this… Zero… I have nothing more to say.”
Singh, as foreign secretary, was responsible for UK matters among other countries and, therefore, should have been the first to be consulted on a matter as sensitive as this.
Sujatha Singh was removed unceremoniously by the BJP government at the centre five months before her stint as the foreign secretary.
The External Affairs Ministry under the UPA government had revoked Lalit Modi’s passport in 2010 following an investigation into charges of money laundering and misappropriation of funds.
The latest development may give more ammunition to Congress party to launch more attacks against Sushma Swaraj. The party’s vice president Rahul Gandhi had demanded the sacking of the external affairs minister on Monday.
Sushma Swaraj has been in the eye of storm after it was revealed that she had allegedly committed an act of conflict of interest by requesting the British authorities to issue travel documents to Modi, who was wanted by the Enforcement Directorate in multi-crore scandal.